Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge criticized the Centre, branding its Household Consumption Expenditure Survey as “election inspired.” He lambasted the Modi government, urging them to promptly release the Census data as well. 
Criticizing the Centre for the soaring prices of essential commodities, the Congress asserted on Wednesday that the populace is primed for a shift in the 2024 elections. They emphasized that an INDIA bloc government would swiftly amend policies contributing to inflation.
The Congress President accused the government of masking “back-breaking inflation” with falsified data, alleging that the Modi administration seeks electoral gain through a change in the GDP base year to obfuscate genuine economic realities.
Tussle between Congress and Centre before poll
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge criticized the government for its handling of the economy, expressing concerns about rising unemployment and prices. 
He questioned why the Modi government is joking about poverty, pointing out discrepancies in poverty figures provided by NITI Aayog. According to Kharge, while one report suggests poverty is only 5%, another report by the same organization indicates it’s 11.28% for the same year (2022-23).
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Before the election, the Congress party is consistently criticizing the government’s policies as they vie to capture public attention.
What does the report say?
According to the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) conducted by the National Sample Survey
Office (NSSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation from August 2022 to July 2023, the Monthly Per Capita Consumption Expenditure (MPCE) at current prices (without imputation) saw significant increases.
In urban areas, MPCE more than doubled to Rs 6,459 in 2022-23 from Rs 2,630 in 2011-12, while in rural areas, it surged to Rs 3,773 from Rs 1,430 during the same period. This implies reduction in poverty rates.
The study also reveals that the average MPCE at 2011-12 prices (without imputation) rose to Rs 3,510 in 2022-23 from Rs 2,630 in 2011-12 in urban areas and to Rs 2,008 from Rs 1,430 in rural areas.
